CHAPTER TWO

{ BACK TO THE CAMPUS }

That night, Kyungsoo struggles to fall asleep, thanks to his superhuman hearing powers that pick up dripping faucets and loud neighbors.

Next door, Baekhyun’s dealing with his hurt feelings by scream-singing into his hair dryer.

Kyungsoo finally can’t take it anymore and heads to Baekhyun’s door to complain.

Tellingly, he looks more miserable than giddy when he stops singing.

Baekhyun apologizes for the loud singing.

Kyungsoo is too annoyed to let it go easily and adds that he’s disturbing the peace, which is a reportable crime.

That raises Baekhyun’s hackles, and he takes out his hurt from the netizens onto him, saying that he’s been bashed all day long.

He’s just taking out her frustrations, but he’s telling him he can’t even do that?

Baekhyun starts to break down, but stops and excuses himself.

He cries in his bed, wondering what he did to merit such hate.

Next door, Kyungsoo hears his sobs in loud detail, compounding his guilt.

Unable to sleep, Kyungsoo heads down to his enormous study, crammed full of books from as far back as Joseon.

He takes out a journal and starts writing.

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There’s another scandal on the horizon for Baekhyun.

Being a university student but never seen a glimpse of his shadow in the campus in ages, leading to a report on celebrity favouritism.

The report is scathing, particularly since he was free enough to go tweeting about his daily activities.

CEO Lee urges Baekhyun to go to the campus today and just delay the recording.

Sure, Baekhyun will get scorned for the timing, but it’s better than not going at all, he argues.

PARK Chan-yeol, the playboy son of a chaebol.

He arrives at the airport and sees the Baekhyun’s tweet, and is thus waiting to say hello with open arms.

He cheerfully offers to drive Baekhyun to school.

“Let’s go!”

Chanyeol is good-natured and cheerful person. He treats Baekhyun just like his own bestfriend.

They may even look like a couple because Chanyeol is overprotective towards Baekhyun like how a boyfriend always does.

His arrival at school causes a huge commotion.

He walks like a movie star he is, walking on a red carpet with glamorous backlighting.

The professor arrives, and Baekhyun sits up in surprise.

“ What the---- That North Korean guy ... But------..”

It’s Kyungsoo.

His manager says it’s good that he already knows him, since he’s known for being a stickler and he already got one F.

Baekhyun cringes to recall all the ways he probably offended his prof.

During the learning session, Baekhyun can’t help but keep yawning through his lecture and violently nodding off.

“Okay .. Class ended here. Please make a report on what we had studied today. Send it by tomorrow.”

People starts to empty the room leaving Baekhyun alone with Kyungsoo.

He hangs back after class to smooth over the matter some more, trying some flattery and empty words at first, which don’t interest Kyungsoo.

So he drops the act and levels with him.

“I want to come to school for the press sake , but please Prof. Do.. Can I ... Not do the report like pretty please?”

Baekhyun pleads while showing his infamous puppy eyes to Kyungsoo.

He pleads with him to cut his a little slack, since trading favors is how people live.

That gets Kyungsoo’s attention.

“No! That’s not how people live!”

He looms over Baekhyun and backs him against the table.

He then says,

“People take advantage of you once you’ve helped them, asking for more and more help. And then, they never repay you as their promised!”

With that, he leaves.

He’s a little flustered by all the in-your-face closeness ,and a little offended at that young prof talking down to him.

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